Automotive Detailing reviews, tips, tricks, write ups and the latest industry news on all things autopian. Whether you are just starting detailing your own car or wanting to start a detailing business all the way to a seasoned professional, you'll find useful information in this blog. This blog is sponsored by DetailingGurus.com. Visit DetailingGurus.com for great detailing products at great prices!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

I did this very unique 1995 BMW M3. If I remember correct, this was a "lightweight" version. It was fitted with a 4 point cage as well as coil overs and very aggressive tires that loved to throw rubber all over the paint (see clay bar picture).

The paint had a fair amount of swirls and some deep scratches that wouldn't be removed by this detail but may be attacked some time in the future. I apologize for the lack of before and in progress pictures, I was strapped for time because I started late on this job.

The wheels and wheel wells were cleaned using a mixture of 4:1 diluted Simple Green mix with Meguiar's Gold Class car wash soap and a variety of brushes.

As mentioned above, the paint (especially the rear half) was covered in rubber from the very soft rubber compound tires. Washing with the Meguiar's Gold Class removed most of it but after claying one panel, you could see that there was more to be removed. The claying took over an hour to complete.

On to the polishing! I tried several combinations on this paint. I started with Poorboy's SSR2.5 with orange cyclo pads on the cyclo polisher but this seemed too conservative. I switched to the rotary and after trying a green Lake Country CCS pad, a Lake Country purple foamed wool and an orange Lake Country CCS pad I switched to my go to twisted wool pad. The compound of choice was a mixture of Optimum Compound and Menzerna Intensive Polish. Some spots I only used the Optimum Compound and some just the Menzerna Intensive Polish depending on the level of defects.

The result was almost perfect in most places. (sorry... no befores)

After 2+ hours of machine polishing I went with Duragloss TPP #105 for the LSP. The customer mentioned that he had used Zaino products before and ended up having a bottle of Z8 left over so I thought this LSP would be a good base for some additional coats of Z8 afterwards.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

This is some before and after for probably one of the most common problem areas of this style mustang... the rear third brake light lense. I don't know if I've seen a mustang this style without a crapped out lense. I guess it is the material.

With very little work, you can restore this lense to factory finish. Here is the process and products used:

Wet sand with 400 grit (3M Sandpaper)

Wet sand with 1000 grit (3M Sandpaper)

Wet sand with 2000 grit (3M Sandpaper)

Polish with Meguiar's ScratchX on a Lake Country orange pad on rotary at about 1,200 rpm

Thursday, September 13, 2007

I just love working with black cars! The results are always worth the work! Anyways, I have several pictures that span several detailing sessions. I basically tackle one area at a time since I usually do not have the 8 - 10 hours necessary to get the whole car done in one shot. The pictures should speak for themselves though. If anyone is interested in the processes I used just ask. Different areas required different products, tools and processes. Basically I used the following products:-3M 2,000 grit sand paper-Mother's Claybar system-Optimum Compound with a Lake Country yellow cutting pad-Poorboy's World SSR1 Polish with a Lake Country black finishing pad-Poorboy's Natty's Blue carnauba wax

Claying...I wet sanded problem areas with 2000 gritI've seen these kinds of scratches in most cars because of the gas cap dangling on the paint.WET SAND!!1 pass with Optimum compound with yellow cutting pad...1 pass Poorboy's SSR1 polish with black polishing pad...

I also wet sanded the whole rear wing and trunk lid because there was some major water etching on it. Here's a time lapse video of that process:

Here is what that rear wing looked like before the wet sanding and polishing:And here's what it looked like after the whole deal...And finally, some afters (result shots):Here are some water beading shots from a rain storm the other day...Finished up the interior with an Oreck Hot Water Extractor.Stay tuned for "How to restore plastic lamp/headlight lenses".

Welcome to the DetailingGurus auto detailing blog (sponsored by http://www.DetailingGurus.com/). Check back frequently for reviews on the latest products and equpiment, as well as tips and tricks to help you achieve the auto finish perfection you're striving for!